The greatest Pršo on earth

Rangers FC will need to produce their best performances of the season if they are to overcome Villarreal CF and progress to the quarter-finals of the UEFA Champions League, according to their Croatia striker Dado Pršo.

Scottish first
The Ibrox club became the first Scottish side to reach the knockout stages of the competition when they qualified from Group H and despite a poor domestic season which has seen them drop out of contention on all fronts, Pršo still feels Rangers have a chance of prolonging their European adventure providing they find top form against the Primera Divisíon side.

Clean sheet
"Rangers must play the best two games of the season to go through to the quarter-finals," Pršo told uefa.com. "The most important thing is not to concede a goal at Ibrox. If we can score that would put pressure on them to come out in Villarreal and that could leave spaces for us to exploit, but it all depends on the first game."

Culinary analogy
The 31-year-old has shared the frustrations of the Rangers supporters this season having watched their favourites hit the heights in Europe while simultaneously plumbing the depths at home. Using a culinary analogy to illustrate what he sees as the problem, Pršo claims that Rangers have simply failed to cope with the twin demands of UEFA Champions League and domestic football.

Mayonnaise problems
"The mayonnaise isn't taking this season and we have struggled to find the formula to keep us competitive in all competitions," he explained. "For example, when we qualified [for the group stage] against [Anorthosis] Famagusta [FC], we then went and lost 3-0 to Hibernian [FC] in the league a few days later. That shows how difficult it is to play in the UEFA Champions League and then turn your attention back to league games."

Spanish highs
Pršo's previous track record against Spanish opponents in this competition is exceptional. In 2003/04 the Croatian scored four goals in AS Monaco's epic 8-3 win against RC Deportivo La Coruña and was also instrumental in helping to see off the threat of Real Madrid CF in the last eight before his side lost to José Mourinho's FC Porto in the final.

Villarreal strengths
However, Pršo expects Villarreal to be a tough proposition. "La Coruña and Real Madrid had real power in attack and midfield but they weren't so strong at the back," he said. "Villarreal are not a spectacular side but they are a solid team with one or two stars like [Juan Román] Riquelme and [Diego] Forlán. Maybe that's why they have done so well this season in the UEFA Champions League because they are such a strong unit."

Last hurrah
With Rangers manager Alex McLeish leaving Ibrox at the end of the season and former Olympique Lyonnais Paul Le Guen tipped to replace him, Pršo could be set to renew his acquaintance with someone he knows well from his time in French football. However, the striker is reluctant to look into the future, preferring to focus on one last hurrah for the man who brought him to Scotland two years ago.

'Not over yet'
"I have a lot of respect for Paul Le Guen," said Pršo. "He's a top coach but my coach now is Alex McLeish and I don't want to say too much about Le Guen because we want to do something for Alex first. We know there's going to be a new manager next season but first we want to give our fans something to celebrate by passing Villarreal and finishing second in the SPL. It's not over yet."